Motor-vehicle brake.



J'. E. STONE.

MOTOR VEHICLE BRAKE.

APPLICATION FILED Nov. 25. |914.

1,153,726. PIIIIInIQdSOpt 14, 1915.

A lilll JOHN E. STONE, OF SWEET VJATER,

MOTOR-VEHICLE BRAKE.

Specicaton of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. lei., i915.

Application led November 25, 191e. Serial No. 873,935.

To all er1/tom it may concern Be. it known that l, JOHN E. STONE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Sweet later, in the county of Nolan and State of Texas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Motor-Vehicle Brakes, otl which the following is a specilcation.

The invention seeks to give an improvement in brakes especially suitable for motor vehicles, by which the objectionable action of the brakes now generally used, in locking one wheel before proper braking action occurs on the other, will be prevented by the natural and automatic laction of the device. At present in order to prevent un'- equal action in opposite band brakes, where operated by direct link connections from a hand lever, it is necessary to make extremely nice manual adjustments, and it isthe purpose of my invention to enable direct link connections between the hand lever and two brakes with elements so arranged that an equalizing action will occur without the use of intermediate levers, or cables and pulleys.

lt is also a purpose to obviate the necessity for large bearings for the brake connection elements by so arranging the parts that there will be a practical absence of force tending to throw the parts pivotally connected oli' ot' their axes when the brakes are applied. Consequently and further, the necessity for machined fittings is greatly reduced, and in the connections between the ends of a brake band and a rocking lever element I am enabled to use simple steel wire links in hooked engagement with band and lever, without liability of casual disengagement or objectionable lost motion.

Additional objects, advantages, and features of invention will appear .in the con struction. arrangement and combination of parts or my invention, one ot' the possible embodiments of which is herein described and shown in the drawings, where- -Figure l is a plan of the rear part of a motor vehicle chassis equipped with my invention, Fig. 2 is an elevation ot' a brake drum and mounting for the brake. showingthe invention with the brake rods disconnected, Fig. 3 is a vertical cross section ot the brake. Fig. 4 is a top view thereof, Fig; 5 is a fragmentary plan of the chassis with a preferred form of operative connections between the opposite brakes. Fig.' 6 is a side view of the mountingof the central lever.

.like base portion 28, the disk There is illustrated an engine chassis lO of any usual construction, including the rear axle housing ll and differential housing l2, of familiar form and construction, the rear axle housing having at the outer ends the usual circular trame plate 13 concentric withV the housing and ot' a size corresponding to that of the brake drum 14, which may be oi any usual form and attached to a wheel, not shown, in any customary manner. The frame plate 13 is provided with an upward extension l5, having a flange 16, extending over and concentric with the drum 14, this flange having longitudinal slots l? in the medial plane of the drum in which there are slidably engaged rectangular lugs 18 formed on blocks 19 secured upon the outer face of the spring band 20 at its extremities. This band with the usual lining 2l may be termed the brake band. At its middle on the outer side, an anchor block 22 is fixed, having a pin 23 extended therefrom through a vertical slot 24 in an anchor lug 25 formed on the frame plate 13 at its lower part, projected outwardly a suiiicient distance. The extension 15 is formed with a horizontal rectilinear slot 26 centrally over the axis of 4the drum through which there is slidably engaged a lever 27 having an enlarged diskand the body ot the lever being stamped'integrally o'l" one piece of sheet metal. The disk is t'ormed with opposed openings 29 on opposite sides of the axis of "'ie lever close to the periphery ot the disk portion and preferably on a radius of the disk at an angle ot' about forty-tive degrees to the axis ot the lever. Engaged in these vopenings, there are links 30, having hook ends engaged through the respective apertures. their outer' ends being similarly engaged through apertured ears 3l on the blocks 19. The outer end of the lever is secured as at 32, whereby it extends some distance laterally beyond the end of the slot 26 when in initial position. The levers at each side ot the chassis are so arranged as to extend rearwardly in initial position, and when in this position, the openings 29 the disk are in a line with the axis ot the drum, substantially. ln case greater or less movement or leverage torce is desired to be exerted on the links, thev may be adjusted in additional openings 29 ,spaced arounr the disk portion of the lever. The outer ends of the levers have pivotally lconnected thtl x.to lateral rods 38 inclined slightly forward toward their inner ends, and commonly connected thereat to the rear end of a main rod 34, which is extended torwardly adjacent the center of the axle, and may be connected to any customary brake lever employed. The main rod may be inclined toward one side or the other of `the chassis if desired, and it' considerable inclination is necessary, the difference in lateral position may be compensated for by the use of the usual counter shaft and arm. It

rbeing customary in the late types of cars to dispose the control levers centrally of the vehicle, there will not be any difficulty on this account and the rod 34 may he connected directly to the hand lever. I? or the support of the rods 33 and 34, a device 36 is secured upon the differential housing by which the rod 33 at one side is slidably held. It desired, an extension may be formed on the member 36 at the rear, with an outer extremity turned to one side as at 37. and a spring 3S coengaged between this extremity and the inner ends of the rods 33. By this means the brake will be returned to disengaged position positively, when the hand lever is disengaged or freed for releasing movement, and by forming a limiting stop 39 -for the engaging rod, the parts will be held against rattling.

The construction described and shown makes the brake easily accessible, the extension 15 serving as a protecting casing for the brake, so that the mud, sand and stones cannot easily get into the space between the ends of the band, and also' the device is protected against mud or slush becoming packed and frozen between the band ends or in the path of the lever and impeding or preventing action of the brake. The rods 33 may be connected to the levers by suitable pins 40. which may be secured by Cotter pins for quick removal. after which the removal ot' two bolts 41 holding the extension 15 in place will allow removal of the extension piece. and the operative parts will be exposed to view and easily accessible for adjustment or repair. The location of the 'band connections at the upper side of the drum also facilitates access to the parts.

It will be apparent that the lever construction at 27 and 28 and the connections between the lever and band ends are of a vchai-after which may be readily applied in ferred form of connection between the levers 27, which consists in leading rods 33 therefrom to a large lever 42, having the same form as the levers 27, as regards the disk portion, 'and having concentrically spaced apertures 43 therearound, in two of which the inner ends of the rods 33 are secured as at 44. This large lever is secured as at 45 to the upper end of a spring staff 46, having an intermediate helix 47 formed therein and its upper part cranked as shown. The lower end is formed with an eye engaged with the usual bolt and'nut at 48, used to hold the differential housing together. From the outer end of the lever the main brake rod 49 is extended. It will'be seen that by the use of this lever it may be connected to allow direct connection in the most eiiicient way with a brake lever at either side of the chassis, as indicated in dotted lines, and the mounting of the lever permits` it to swing and thus act as an equalizer between the opposed brakes.

lVh-at is claimed:

1. In a device of the class described comprising two rotating brake drum elements, oppositely moving brake'elexnents for each drinn, a lever adjacent each drum oscillable in a plane parallel to the axis of the drum, said levers having principal arms mdvable toward each other for braking action, a connection between the levers yieldable to lateral force applied thereto, eccentric connections between each lever and each brake element adjacent respective drums, and an operating rod engaged with the said connections between the levers centrally of the connections, said levers and rods being all operative nearly or quite in a common plane.

2. A device of the class described comprising a drinn, a frame piece thereadjacent, a band encircling the drum, an anchorage means therefor, said band having relatively movable ends, an extension piece on the frame piece having a iiange concentric with the drum and having longitudinal slots therein alined with the drum, blocks on thel band ends having lugs slidable in the slots, said extension piece having a horizontal slot therein, a lever having a disk portion at its inner end engaged oscillably in the slot, and eccentric connections between the disk and said blocks.

In testimony whereof I aix my signature in presence of two witnesses. i

JOHN E. s'roNE.

Witnesses H. L. Woonwxnn, WALLACE J. HILL.

ros 

